Dead body found in Calif. home after explosion during eviction order

A charred body was discovered inside a San Francisco-area home on Tuesday after an explosion there injured two sheriff’s deputies who were carrying out an eviction, officials said.

The two Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies, along with a locksmith who was helping them gain access to the Oakland triplex around 11 a.m. local time, suffered minor injuries from the blast, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sergeant J.D. Nelson said.

Preliminary information indicated that the explosion was a “natural gas event,” but it was not clear what sparked the blast, Nelson said.

“What we don’t know is if this person was deceased when the deputies got there and if the explosion was triggered by them drilling into the lock. Or if this is a case where the person ignited it knowing that the deputies were out there,” Nelson said.

Police found the body after firefighters extinguished a blaze that consumed the home in the wake of the blast, Nelson said. They have not identified the remains, which were so badly charred that a gender could not yet be determined, he said.

It was not immediately clear if the deceased individual was an occupant of the home, Nelson said, adding that the investigation into the case was continuing.